Former Connecticut priest sentenced to five years for dealing meth

A former Connecticut Roman Catholic priest on Thursday was sentenced to five years and five months in federal prison for running a methamphetamine distribution ring.

Kevin Wallin, now 63, was arrested in March 2013 and charged with selling the drug. He pleaded guilty the following month to one count of conspiracy to distribute, prompting local media to call it the “Monsignor meth” case.

Federal prosecutors contended that Wallin bought the drug from suppliers in California and sold it to other dealers as well as his own customers around Waterbury, in central Connecticut.

“Meth is a highly-addictive drug that consumes its user and has ravaged other parts of the country,” said Deirdre Daly, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, in a statement. “Federal, state and local law enforcement continue to work hard to thwart meth distribution and abuse.”

Wallin, who has been imprisoned since his arrest more than two years ago, will face five years of supervision after he is released from prison.

He remains a priest but has been suspended from acting as one in public